A piece of advice: if you want to remain in control of a doomsday cult, don't give a date for the end of the world unless you're really, really sure it's going to happen. Being wrong tends to undermine your authority.

When you've been struck by lightning as many times as I have, you start to expect the worst pretty much all the time.

That’s insane! But then, we’re talking about a religious cult here, and cult followers aren’t renowned for their rationality.

-You said this wasn't a cult.-Secret society. There's a difference.-Not from where I'm standing.-Then take a seat.

So the reason I was struck again and again was because of my overwhelmingly positive energy. Funny, I'd always thought of myself as a pessimist.